Come Summer
by Princesa Aerionna
Summary: Right. When is THE summer coming? Here's me trying my hand at this sort of one-shot stories. It just won't be one shot a day. Random, mostly, depends on what strike my mood and muse. Hope it could help to pass the long wait. #4: Beam Me Up. Inspired by P!nk's song.
1. Kitten

Chapter 1: Kitten

I promise I'm not leaving my other story. I'm working on it. I just need the time to reconsider my time maps because I feel like I'm losing it. In between of that, ideas flew to my mind. And I've been itching to post these kind of one-shots of my own. So, here it is me scratching at the itch.

A kitten came to my house a few weeks ago. And as my brother fixed its eyes, my mom fed it, I gave it drink and it basically asked to be pet whenever anyone walked by, this story came to mind.

* * *

"Please, mom, can we keep him?" Sara Anderson pleaded to her mother. For the hundredth of time since she got into the car when her mother picked her up after school.

"Sara, I said no. That makes us even," Annie turned to look at her seven-year old daughter before resuming cutting potatoes for supper. "You have to ask your father when he get h…"

As if on cue, the familiar sound of a car stopped outside, Sara jumped off her seat and ran to the door. She opened it quickly and called her father.

"Daaadd," she ran outside, waiting for her father to stop walking and squatted down before throwing herself into his arms.

"Hey, there, little princess," Auggie hugged his daughter and gave a kiss to her forehead. Then a strange sound made him frown. "What's that?"

"It's Kitten!" Sara answered excitedly, touching the bundle of fur she held in both hands to his father's free hand.

Auggie felt the fur of the animal and heard it meowed softly. "I see. Where did you get it?"

"Dad, can we please keep him?" the little girl went straight to her mission, not answering her father's question. She couldn't fail. Else the poor little cat wouldn't have a home. And she'd promised her friends. "Please? Isabelle's sister is allergic to the fur, Tia's aunt has asthma, Thomas hates Kitten…"

"Whoa, easy there, kitten saviour," Auggie laughed, finding her to be endearingly cute. "Come, let's get inside and ask your mother,"

Sara pouted instantly as she let her father take her hand in his and started to walk to the side door leading to the kitchen area.

"Mom said no," the girl said as they entered the kitchen.

"She did?" Auggie asked, glancing to the direction where he caught Annie's noise moving around in the kitchen as he folded his cane and put it on a console table by the door.

Annie ignored his unspoken question directed to her. Auggie had never mention that he dislike pets. But he'd never said anything that indicated his fondness of them. Not even for a guide dog. She had a cat once, but it was a long time ago and it was Katia's cat. And he wondered why she'd said no?

"Yes," Sara mumbled, still with a pout that could be heard from her tone. "I've told them that we can keep him. He's going to be homeless, Dad. Please, please?" Sara kept persisting at her father, holding the fabric of his trousers to let him know where she was so he wouldn't walk on her.

Auggie let out a breath, his daughter really had a way of persuading her parents, especially him. And after a long day of work, he really didn't have the energy to deny her anything at the moment. He'd might regret his decision later, but, hell, this was his daughter asking.

"Okay, Sara, we'll keep him," he knelled down and felt for her tiny shoulders, assuring her. "We're not letting him to be homeless. Alright?"

"Yay!" Sara squealed in happiness, hugging her father again. The cat meowed at being pinned between father-daughter embrace. "You really are the coolest dad eveeeer," she planted a kiss to his cheek before clamouring away, already in conversation with the cat.

"You need to work on saying no to her," Annie commented as he made his way to her to properly greet her. She felt his hand on her back and put down the spoon she was using to stir the boiling soup.

"I can handle some terrorist interrogator better," he circled his hand through her waist, placing his chin on her shoulder.

"You spoil her too much, Augs," she reminded him before giving the corner of his lips a soft kiss.

"Do I?" he asked into the kiss, angling his lips to better capture hers.

They shared some more-proper kiss before Annie went back to her soup. "Dinner's almost ready, go changer your clothes," Annie told him.

Some minutes later, Auggie walked past a very chatty Sara who apparently had been having a very animated conversation with her new pet behind the sofa in the family area.

"Sara?" he called, pausing some feet away from her.

"That's Daddy, the coolest dad in the world," he heard her said in a whisper, most likely to the cat. He shook his head mentally though he couldn't help puffing his chest with pride to be considered 'coolest dad' as Sara had put it.

"I'm here, Dad," this time, she used her usual tone.

"I'm the coolest dad, huh?" he asked, carefully feeling his way to her. He almost stepped on her legs if she hadn't pulled back quickly. Her hand touched his leg and he crouched down.

"Yep. Everyone knows that," she mumbled as if it was an ordinary fact.

"Yeah?" he arched an eyebrow at that. "Who's everyone?"

"My friends. Their dads don't read them bedtime stories from little bumpy books." Little bumpy book was what Sara called her children books which came in both Latin and Braille writing. He didn't know what he'd done to be blessed with this angel. "And, their dads don't allow them to have Kitten," she continued, oblivious to her father's emotion.

"Okay," he sobered before the mist in his eyes could turn into tears. "So, does this kitten have a name yet?" Auggie asked, pulling at her hands so she'd stand up.

"It's Kitten," she replied, allowing her father to pull her up and walk to the kitchen.

"I know it's a kitten, Sara. But didn't you give it a name?"

"His name is Kitten."

Auggie was sure his face turned ridiculous as he caught Annie's snort. "She definitely get that from you."

"No, she doesn't," he denied.

"Sara, why don't you put him down for a bit and wash your hands up to your elbow," Annie instructed her daughter who quickly went to the bathroom.

"Who ever calls their computer 'Comp'?" she directed it back to Auggie who was pouring milk for Sara and himself. Since she was old enough to sit down at dinner, he'd taken liking to also have milk.

"You can name your shoes Christian, since Kitten is already taken," he smirked at her.

Annie was about to reply when their daughter joined them again on the dining table. "You wash them good?" she asked.

Sara nodded, holding up her half-dried hands for her mother to see who smiled in approval. "What are we giving Kitten for dinner?" she asked as she slipped to her seat on the small wooden table for four.

Annie thought for a moment as she placed the bowl of hot soup on the table. "How about some of the chicken from the soup? We can get cat food tomorrow." She walked to get another small plate for Kitten.

"You sure he likes chicken?" Sara asked as she accepted the glass of milk from her father, taking a sip.

"He's a cat, of course, he likes chicken," Auggie said, sitting down with his own glass of milk.

Annie came back and filled a small plate with some chunks of chicken. She whispered what's where to Auggie as she went past him to Kitten who was quietly laying on his stomach next to Sara's chair.

"Can I share my milk with him?" she asked.

Annie stopped her daughter's hand before it could get to her glass, "No, you don't share foods with Kitten, okay? We'll get him milk for cat."

"Okay."

"There's milk for cat?" Auggie asked incredulous, replacing the spoon back to the bowl after getting some to his bowl. None of the ladies answered him, he shrugged indifferently.

"And he'll have his own bowl for food and drink, too?" Sara asked again.

"Yes, Sara. We'll get them after school." Annie sat at her chair on Auggie's left. "Now, it's time for dinner," she spooned a few of the soup for her as her tiny hands couldn't yet reached the bowl without splitting the food on the table.

"And you said no," Auggie chirped, starting to eat his meal.

Annie rolled her eyes at him. She would not let him have the satisfaction of arguing over a kitten in the presence of their daughter.

"Why don't you join us to shop tomorrow?" Annie asked instead.

"Yes, Dad!" Sara jumped in excitement at the suggestion. She loved going out with her father but it couldn't happen often enough for her taste.

"I can't, I have to be at the office. I'm s…"

"Tomorrow's Friday, you can leave early," Annie suggested, not giving up easily. He brought the kitten so he had to play his part in the game.

"Yes. Dad, pleaseee?" He could practically hear Sara put on her puppy-dog look at him adorably. Annie had been going on and on abut how she learned the look from him.

Annie teamed up with her daughter, training a sweet smile in her husband's direction. She knew pretty well that he could sense it. And he would not win this fight.

"Alright," he relented, agreeing to whatever it was going to happen tomorrow. "Whatever my two beautiful ladies wish."

* * *

Okay. That's it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Hope you enjoy it.

H


	2. Cooking' Day

Chapter 2: 'Cooking' Day

I've fixed some error on the first chapter. Thanks to Confidential Brunette for pointing it out :) (Sorry, forgot to put you the first time around) And others for the kind words.

And here's another little story for you all. Enjoy! I don't know how the market looks like there, I imagined there'd be stands? No?

* * *

Auggie knew for a fact that it was Saturday. No alarm on Saturdays until at least 8 am. And he was sure that it was not even 7 am yet. He groaned as his hand flew to his night stand, searching the cursed thing that had disturbed his sleep. Magically, it stopped before he could press the button.

"Aug?"

Auggie turned his face to Annie's side of the bed, only then realizing that he was laying face down. His brow furrowed, why was she up? He mumbled something incoherent.

"Aug?" she called him again, this time with a soft pat on his bare arm.

"Go back to sleep," he said, closing his half-opened eyes again.

"We are going in thirty minutes," she told him, already on her way to his bathroom.

That alerted Auggie more, "Where are we going?" he asked.

"The farm's market only open 'till 10," Annie said before closing the bathroom door.

Auggie was laying still for a moment, then turned to lay on his back, thinking hard. Saturdays were lazy days, brunch at 10, some walk around the neighbourhood and maybe laundry. That saying if she was actually in country and he didn't have any mission on the ground to handle. So, a farm's market was definitely not on their Saturday plan together.

"Oh."

Realization hit him, remembering how she'd been going on and on about learning to cook food, some real food. He okay-ed it, never thinking that she'd actually do it.

The bathroom door opened and he could smell the scent of his shower gel. He was sure there were unknown bottles of her magic products but she often like to use his soap.

"Auggie," she called him in a tone that both commanding and pleading.

He sighed as he got out of bed and walked to where she was standing in front of the bathroom door. "I don't know we are actually going to go."

"You don't know I'm actually going to cook?" she asked, grasping his extended hand. She let him pull her closer and tiptoed to plant a teasing kiss on his lips. "Good morning," she smiled.

"I don't know if it's good to be awake at six on Saturday, but okay," he kissed her again, hands roaming her thin clad t-shirt back.

"I'm making us some coffee then we leave," she grabbed both of his hand and held it together, stopping their exploration when she could before it got too far.

...

"Remind me, why are we here?" Auggie asked, when Annie trusted another piece of carrots to his free hand.

"What? Can't a girl cook to treat her boyfriend?" she asked, picking some tomatoes and pepper.

"Treats are great but you can do it without dragging me along here." Auggie complained. He had only one cup of coffee so far. Correction: a half-cup of coffee. It was certainly not enough to handle the crowded market. He wished he could've something stronger now.

"Auggie," Annie turned to him, "Please, whining doesn't get you weekend treats. We're almost done, okay?"

"What else do you actually need here?" He wondered, the plain tote bag he'd been carrying for her was bulging and started to feel heavy.

"These carrots, red peppers and some spice," Annie rattled on from her shopping list note. Yes, she actually made a list of what she needed to buy. Auggie didn't know that, though he had his suspicion.

He huffed, "Fine."

She smiled, patting his cheek for a moment.

"Men only appreciate these goods when they're served in plates, huh, dear?" An old lady who was picking tomatoes nearby remarked, her tone warm and friendly.

Annie chuckled, "Yeah, well, seems that way, ma'am."

"See that?" She nodded to an open café a few stands away. "My husband prefers to enjoy coffee and read the papers there."

"I'd like to have some coffee beforehand, too," Auggie quipped.

"You had coffee," Annie pointed, handing the vegetables she picked to the older man running the stand.

"Yeah, then you drink half of my coffee when you said you're taking a small sip."

"Well, you dropped mine." Annie said. Technically, she dropped her coffee but he was distracting her. "How much is it?" She directed it to the seller.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he turned his head in the direction where he'd heard the old woman's voice. "What's your husband name? I might decide to join him next time,"

Annie rolled her eyes mentally, retrieving some bills from her wallet.

"Sure, he might as well appreciate some company. Frank Richards, he likes to seat in one of the outdoor tables." She replied.

"Thank you," Annie accepted her purchase and gave a soft tug at Auggie's hand holding the bag.

Auggie nodded his thank to the older woman as he lifted his hand and opened the bag in front of Annie who swiftly arrange the latest veggies to be put inside. Patting his hand to let him know she's done, Annie threw one last smile to the woman. Something in her eyes caught Annie's attention. She was opening her mouth to say something, but Auggie was already on the move, pulling her elbow automatically. She just nodded her head, knowing what the woman was going to ask.

"So, you'd like to try one of those delicious smelling breads and some fresh milk?" Annie offered as she put them both in the right direction toward where she parked her car. She saw the small breakfast spot, offering fresh breads and milk, when they were coming.

"Do they have coffee?" Auggie asked.

Annie squinted her eyes to read the menu on a small blackboard. "I think so. We can grab one of the outside tables."

"Sure,"

"It's a round table," Annie said as she put his hand on the back of a chair.

He felt for the table and put down the bag before sitting down. Annie looked around, seeing if they had waitress or she had to make her order inside the stand. Two women walking out of the inside stand, carrying their order, answered her question.

"Seems like they don't have waitress. What you'd like to have? There are all sort of breads, milk, coffee, chocolate, yoghurt…"

"Just coffee, please," Auggie said simply. "Strong."

"Alright," Annie did another look around, to make sure nothing look suspicious. "I'll be right back."

…

"Annie," Auggie called, walking to his kitchen area where she'd spent more than one hour cooking. Well, she told him she was going to cook. In reality, she'd been cursing now and then. The frustration was coming off in waves from her body.

"Why does it taste all wrong, Aug?" she asked desperately.

"Hey," he found the side of her stomach and worked his hand up to her shoulder, turning her slowly towards him. "It's okay. We can order something."

Annie looked up to his face, feeling the frustration left her body slowly. "I've followed the recipe down to the minutes and…"

"Sshh," he pulled her to his embrace. "You don't have to cook for me."

"It's not you, Augs," she said quietly.

He furrowed, confused. "I thought you are cooking dinner for me?"

"Well, yeah, I was," Annie pulled out from his arm, leaving her hands around him. "But, uh, your mother's coming to town and…"

Auggie's furrow deepened, not seeing the connection between his mother visiting town in a few weeks to her frustration. "Yeah?" he prodded gently.

"I assumed you'd invite her for dinner or something. And I want to cook the dinner," Annie explained. It was a solid reason when she browsed for some meal recipes last week but it sounded lame now.

Auggie smiled, apparently finding it to be funny.

"It's not funny."

"Okay, it's not," he stopped the smile. "But I thought we'd just go out and eat somewhere."

"But it'd be nicer if we have it here."

"Nicer?" He really didn't understand what she was getting at. Annie had met her parents already, earlier in their relationship. But why did she spent her energy to worry about cooking dinner now? She had never brought out the subject before.

"Yeah. I mean, mothers, they… they all expect their son's fiancée to be able to cook..." her voice was getting small and unsure. She wasn't prepared to admit it to him. Not yet. But they'd practically live together for months now. And they both know they were serious at it. And that's the reason she felt insecure about her inability to cook that then his mother might consider her not suited for her son. It was a scary possibility she was unwilling to risk.

"Oh. They do?" he asked, dumbstruck. Her mother liked Annie. Hell, she kept asking about her more than about himself on phone calls. She really didn't have reasons to worry.

"Of course, they do. What's your mother going to think if she knows I can't cook, Aug? That I can't feed you healthy food properly?"

"I didn't know you to be the conservative kind of girl here," Auggie teased.

"Believe me, I didn't know it, either," she mumbled, wiping strands of hair from her forehead.

He pulled her back toward him, kissing her forehead. "You don't have to stress yourself, Annie. My mother likes you, very much. And you know that. And I can feed myself pretty well."

"B…"

"But," he emphasized, "if it's going to make you feel better, you can cook. There are some weeks to go, you can practice every night if you want to."

She gave his cheek a peck, unable to resist herself. The way he easily calmed her nerves was amazing. And she loved him more for that. "One of these days, I'm going to burn your kitchen," she said with a small smile.

"It's okay, so long as I don't have to eat the burnt food."

Annie slapped his ribs, jerking him in surprise. "Throwing away food is bad habit."

"Or we can always call Catering by Danielle."

That earned him a jab of her toe on his leg.

"You think you're so funny."

* * *

Thanks for the read, follow, favourite, review and all. I appreciate them.

And I hope you do enjoy it :)


	3. The Memory of Old

Chapter 3: The Memory of Old

Here it is another chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

The past is not something that Auggie like to tread often. Mainly because he couldn't afford it.

And else because he half hope to forget it.

He buried a huge pile of stuff deep in his memories. It seemed to be forgotten most days. Though it didn't mean that they were gone. It was there, on his shoulder. Constantly. The baggage. His baggage.

Pain. Hurt. Anger. Desperation. Disappointment. Hopes. Dreams. Frustration. Despair. Love. And more.

The price for dwelling over them was his own sanity. It was too much. Those emotions would drown him and lost him in the bottom with no certain way of ever getting out.

He had wanted to burn them. And go on like they had never existed. But a wise man he'd met in those dark days told him a story. A story that stopped him from throwing away his past completely.

The man was married with a young active four-year old boy and a baby daughter. His son was very inquisitive, he'd said. He loved to ask questions about anything. He liked to know everything. Including of his father. He'd asked what he did when he was younger and in school. The sports he played. The motorcycles he drove. His old baseball team uniform. His pictures.

He didn't have any of those. The only thing left behind was his own fading, vague memory of it. Of course, his son didn't find it satisfying.

That was when he truly regretted his anger-driven decision years ago. The same mistake that he was going to do, throwing away his old life and everything that didn't have place in his current, not so improved life. It was the logical and right thing to do in his mind.

"It's not," the older man had said. "The past is part of who you are today. And in the future, there will be people who'd love it for you."

It didn't seem to make sense back then. It was now.

His past, or rather the physical remnants of it, was neatly stacked in boxes somewhere in his apartment. On top of his closet. Out of his immediate reach so he wouldn't stumble over it accidentally. Some days he forgot they were there. Some nights he could lie alone in his bed, feeling hyper aware of their presence in his vicinity. Some times it was okay. But, there were moments when it was so hard that it hurt physically.

And today, he took out the two medium boxes out of their hiding. He felt nerveous as he climbed a stool to reach the boxes and was sure it was visible to her. It said a lot about what he's going to do. He knew one of the boxes was lighter than the other and after checking by tugging at them, he handed the lighter box to her.

"What is this? You had bomb hidden here?" she joked as she accepted the box from him.

He just laughed. Rather restrained as he carefully took the other box and secured it in one hand, using the other to hold on to the smooth wood of his closet as he stepped down off the stool.

After replacing the stool to where it belong in his kitchen, they seated facing each other on his living room floor, cross-legged with the two boxes in front of them.

"I want you to meet someone," he said, starting to open the box in front of him.

"Who?" she asked, leaning forward to see what was inside the box.

"Me," he replied, presenting the opened box and its content to her.

Brown envelopes in various size, cameras, note books, some phones, and... was that a laptop?

She looked up to his face, at a complete loss of words. What do you say to your boyfriend when he was baring his life like this?

"Auggie," she breathed.

He had an earnest look on his face. And she could feel mist filling her eyes, blurring her view of this amazing man in front of her. She tried to laugh it off. "What are these?"

"These are gifts for you," he said softly.

Annie blinked back the tears that almost fell, taking in some more deep breaths to steady her emotions. "Auggie," Words failed her and her brain vocabulary could only produce his name.

A small smile formed on his lips, softening his previously nervous stance. "Annie," he replied, in the same tone as hers. "You can open them," he added, feeling for the contents inside and taking one medium brown envelope out of it. He opened it and groped inside.

"What is that?" Annie asked, scooting herself closer to sit down next to him. He let her snuggle on his side, automatically draping his arm around her back to let her better see. "Photos?"

"Apparently yes," he felt over the smooth faces of the numerous photos. "What are in these?"

"Hmm," she mumbled, hands intruding around his own to turn around the photos. "Sunsets, seas, The Blue Mosque in Istanbul..." The photos were good. Great, actually. She never thought that he was a photographer. And a pretty good one at that. Then again he was good at anything it shouldn't have come as a surprise for her.

"These are good, Auggie," she was amazed, wondering what these photographs were doing in the box. He should've framed them and put them somewhere nice. His apartment, for starters. Or an art gallery perhaps.

"I used to like photography. Nature, places, people were my favourite objects. I'd go somewhere, pack my camera gears and hunt some photos in between of missions." He paused, rummaging through the envelopes and came across a medium sized camera bag. "These are my cameras."

Annie put the photos back inside the envelope and peeked into the Canon camera inside. Slowly and carefully, she took out the rather heavy camera, "Is it still working?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Maybe?"

She found the power button and pushed it. Astonishingly, the camera came to live. The small screen behind showed her the current setting. Absentmindedly, she took it up and directed the lens at Auggie, fixed the focus and then snapped at him.

As she studied the result, she felt bad when Auggie didn't seem to realized he'd been her lens object. Putting the camera aside, she dug into the box again.

"Anime cards. Crosswords. Cubic. A glasses?" Annie took out the glasses, never imagining Auggie wearing one. "You wore glasses?" She held the glasses over his face, trying to see how he looks in it. Not surprisingly, he looked nice as ever.

"I told you I'm a geek," he smirked.

"And a dork," she said. Playfully, she put a hand to the side of his face as a sign of warning before she put the glasses on. Smiling approvingly, she reached for the camera again.

He made a show of fixing the glasses' position and blinked. "You've got something on your cheek," he commented.

"Har," she mumbled, snapping the camera at him.

One hour later, Annie was done going through all of his things. He was a very visual person. The cameras, sketch book, and video recordings on his laptop told her that much. Annie had never seen sighted Auggie and those short movies from his days before Tikrit offered her some insight. He'd offered to put them on, but she said they could do it later. She was content to lie down on the carpet with him, going through a stack of photographs from all the places he'd visited.

"Was it in Spain? Ibiza?" Annie asked, looking at a crowded beach. She tried to see if he was in the picture, but found no one looking like him. It was rare that he was in the photos he took. Like a true photographer, she thought.

"Ibiza? Hmm it was a short vacation, right after I finished my study in MIT. A gift from my parents," he told her. There was something odd in his tone, but she shrugged it off as nothing.

"I went there on a summer with Danielle, she was..." her words trailled off as she caught sight of a young pretty brunette in a turquoise summer dress, a black camera bag slung in one of her shoulders and she was smiling brightly under the shade of a dark blue fedora.

The ladies weren't known to be able to resist August Anderson. That was a well-known fact and legend throughout the agency. She knew she wasn't his first girlfriend. Hell, she could be his 100th for all she knew. But, there was an unfamiliar feeling coursing through her as she looked at the picture of this beautiful young woman who obviously, once, a part of his life. If this woman were here today, Annie was sure she would not stand a chance.

The women she knew had ever had a relationship with him were Natasha Petrovna and Parker Rowland. And Liza Hearn, if their relationship had ever been real. And she wasn't too naive to think that he didn't have any before the Russian rebel. But she'd never thought that he was the kind of man who keeps photos of past girlfriends. And he really wasn't. So, this woman must had been special to him. Even more so than either Natasha or Parker.

"You found her," he stated, reading her silence.

"I guess," she mumbled, glancing to him then back to the photo. She turned it around to see a handwritten note, his writing: My Eloise, Ibiza, Spain, 13 September, 2003. "She is beautiful, Aug."

"She was." He confirmed, causing her to do a double take. Was, past tense. "Her name's Eloise Cartwright," he continued before she could say anything else. "We went to the same school, lived in the same neighbourhood and all that. But we only started dating when we were both in college. I wasn't all into that ladies-man stuff back then, you know."

It was a sad sombre tone, she realized. "What happened?" She asked quietly, now turning on her stomach so she could look at his face.

He sighed softly, composing his jumbled thoughts as the memory of being with Eloise for almost three years came back to him. "She was sick, very sick. I could remember the feel of her bone in her hands, cheeks. Her short, shallow breaths. Her grimaced as another needle pierce through her delicate skin. She was so thin." The mist in his eyes had turned into tears, falling freely down the side of his cheeks. She didn't dare wiping them as she could feel her heart constrict painfully and the wet moist in her eyes, too.

"She was in the hospital for six weeks and three days," he took deep breath and Annie took his hand in hers and kissed it, silently encouraging him to go on. "Everyone thought she was getting better, the cancer was removed. And she really looked brighter, more alive. Then... My classes were starting, so I wasn't in town. Her brother called me that late morning in February..."

Annie buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms round him tightly. The pain in his eyes and face was unbearable for her to see. All she wanted to do was suck it away and make him feel better. But she knew there was nothing that she could do. This Eloise girl had long gone from this world.

"I've dated some girls before her," he started again, a hand rubbing her back absentmindedly. "But Eloise was different. She was full of energy and spirit. Always ready for some fun and adventure. She'd say yes in a second if I'd asked for a trip in the weekend, not minding where we were going," he paused again before continuing, "She grew on people quickly, especially on my mother. I didn't introduce many girls to her."

He'd taken her to his home just last month for a quick weekend visit. Aside from Adrian and Laura Anderson, she'd also meet two of his brothers and their family who lived in the area. Now, she could recall a young man named Eddie Cartwright joined them for barbeque on Saturday afternoon. Was he the brother?

"All I remember from her is her dark brown hair and hazel eyes. If I know what's brown and hazel anymore," he laughed, but there was no humour to it.

"You know her," Annie said softly.

"I loved her, that's why I keep a picture of her around long after she passed away. I just think you should know that."

"I understand," she mumbled reassuringly, squeezing his hand. She definitely understand him. The pain of losing someone you loved by death was familiar to her. He had three years with Eloise. She had three months with Simon. But the pain was a universal feeling they both shared.

"You have nothing to worry about," Auggie assured her.

"I'm not worried," she lied. She was a woman after all. And insecurities were bound to affect her from times to times.

He turned her around, laying her on her back, he hovered above her body. "Really?"

Her hands came up to cup his face, inadvertently wiping the remnants of his tears. "I am a woman in love, I can handle my worry."

"Good," he said. "But it's better if you aren't."

"I'll try,"

A smile formed at his lips before he descended on her and kissed her. The photographs laid, scattered around them and neglected for the moment. Auggie would always have a special place for those memories and Eloise. But they were his past and she knew he wasn't hung up on a death girlfriend. And she wasn't either.

* * *

I've been short on time last month, but I've been able to write on scratch. And I hope I'm going to be able to post a bit more sooner rather than later.

Thanks everyone who've read, favourited, reviewed, followed, etc. You all are so great to me.

PA


	4. Beam Me Up

Loosely inspired by P!nk's "Beam Me Up" because I've been listening to it repeatedly this week. If you haven't heard it, look it up and tell me if you like it :)

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The mission was simple enough. All she had to do was accompany a nine-year old girl named Andrea Rinaldi for 36-hour, 48 max. Then, she had to escort her out of Italy to Geneva to meet up with her parents. The married couple fled from Napoli after the father's cover as a member of one of the biggest Italian mafia family was blown. He was one of CIA's assets and had contacted the agency immediately to get his daughter from a boarding school in the northern part of the country.

She arrived in the school a mere hour before the men their boss sent caught up. In the pretence of being the girl's aunt, she flashed bright smiles to the lady in the front office and hug Andrea as if she hadn't seen her a year too long.

Andrea knew that if there was ever a visit from an 'aunt' named Laura Rinaldi that meant she has to come with the aunt. Or do as she instructed. Her parents had taught her that.

"I'm sorry to have come unannounced, but I tell your parents that I want to surprise you!" Annie said to the girl sitting next to her in the school's lounge. She was around her nieces age, younger than Katia but older than Chloe and it reminded her of them.

"I'm happy you visit me," Andrea said shyly.

"Uncle Agusto's wedding is tomorrow. So, you better go pack your bags quickly now. I'll wait here and have a chat with the headmistress," she hushed the girl out the door.

Forty-minutes later, Annie held Andrea's hand as they walked toward her car in front of the school's building, escorted by a guard and one of the teachers. Barber had told her through her earpiece that she didn't have much time as the bad guys was caught by satellite entering the city.

"Where are my parents?" Andrea asked as soon as they exited the school's area and into the road in the black BMW. Her voice quivers and Annie could actually feel how scared she was.

"They are safe, in Geneva. We are going out to meet them there tomorrow. I'm taking you to my house for the night." Annie replied as best she could, not wanting to hide anything from her. The girl was smart, Annie was only sad that she had to know the things she knew at such young an age while both of her nieces were happily oblivious to everything.

"Okay." She nodded and she was quiet for a long time.

"It's going to be okay." Annie took her small hand in hers and squeezed it-a habit she unconsciously picked up from Auggie.

They stopped at a gas station. Annie asked if she'd want anything in particular. Andrea mumbled something about Nutella and Oreo. Annie nodded and went inside the store to buy some usual, essential groceries to last them a few days and Andrea's snacks as the little girl waited in the car. She was not risking her being seen by anyone or accidentally being recorded by any camera.

The girl said little else after they entered the safe house. She was content to just dip her Oreo biscuits into a glass of milk, sitting cross-legged on the carpet in front of the TV.

"She's okay, mostly. But she hasn't say much." Annie was standing by the kitchen counter, checking in to the office and being her luck, her boss was around to drop a few words. "No, I don't see any of their cars and we were not tailed. The garage lead straight to the house, no sunlight has touched her skin since she left the school," she paused, listening to Joan's instruction attentively. For once, she was going to listen and follow them-she does have a nine-year old in her responsibility. "Okay. I will check in again tomorrow."

Annie put the phone back in her jeans pocket and walked over to join Andrea on the carpet. Quietly, she took one Oreo, dip it into the milk and eat it all in one go, savouring the sweetness in her mouth.

"You want to do something? Play a game?" Annie asked.

Exhaustion washed over her body as she slid the door close. The apartment was cast in a dim light by the street lamps outside which streamed in through the glassed windows. It was eerily quiet. And she knew he was not home yet despite the relatively late hour of the night. Joan mentioned about a special case that demanded his particular attention and swamped him away from his office to another department on the fifth floor.

She had hoped to meet him and see his face for a minute before she had to get into debrief with Joan. But his office was empty of him. Only his tech minion were there to greet her. And they were not the person she wanted to hold onto, even if only for the briefest of moment. It was him.

The debriefing finished less than an hour later and she went straight to his apartment, unable to be in the building any longer than necessary. Hoping that he'd be finished already and waiting at home, she walked in to the empty and dark apartment.

Physical bruises never did hurt as much as the wound in the heart. Her breath was shallow as she lit the candles that she'd put in various corner in the apartment some lifetime ago. After lighting the last of them, she let her body fall to the nearby window sitting, feeling a shiver run down her body as the cold glass pressed against the skin of her forehead and cheek.

The sun roused her from unconsciousness state to find herself to be lying on the sofa. Alertness came to her immediately and she made a mental to-do list as she walked to the only bedroom in the house. Only to find it empty.

She felt like her heart had stopped beating. Quickly, she went inside, pulling at he rumpled blanket and sheets. It really was empty. Checking the bathroom and closet resulted in nothing. She was about to check the window locks when she caught Andrea running around in the small garden in the backyard through a small window in the corner of the room. A drizzle of rain had fallen in the course of minutes she was searching for the girl.

"You started the fun without me?" Annie asked, coming out of the kitchen door to the small area of soil covered with wet green grass.

Andrea stopped her run to look at Annie. She hadn't changed out of her pyjamas and holding a doll in her hand. Without really thinking, Annie charged at her, running to catch her. The girl laughed as she scooped her up and spin her a few rounds.

The drizzle had gone already, but Andrea was rather wet, it left her clothes and hair a little damp, and her barefoot dirty with some soil and grass.

"What's her name?" Annie asked, motioning to the doll.

"Marita," she replied, looking down at the doll in her hand.

"That's a pretty name," Annie told her. "You hungry?"

She gave a small nod.

"Okay. Let's get you clean up and then we can have some breakfast," Annie held Andrea's free hand and tugged her to come inside.

The feel of the warm blood stuck with her the entire time she was in the cab to the airport, then as she waited for the plane to depart and for the whole seven-hours until she landed in Dulles. She had kept it all inside, bottling everything up and compartmentalizing. A covert officer should do it on each of their mission. From the first debrief, during check-ins, to the last debrief. Falling apart in the middle of a mission could be dangerous.

And it had been grievous enough without her emotion being all over the place. And she's managed to lost a life without its help, too.

A familiar black sedan pulled up in the driveway below. She saw the man she knew by heart exited the backseat door and felt a small smile formed at her lips. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, watching as it forms mist on the glass that evaporate the next second.

She raised a hand to wave weakly at him as he turned to enter the building. She'd wanted him and wanted him soon. Not hearing his voice guiding her was adding injury to the battered emotion and worn body of hers. She realized just how much she depended on his calm, assuring voice to ease her mind. She'd wished, even just for a minute, to get him answer her check-in, but she knew he wasn't handling this mission. And he was busy in another floor, causing dread to new young agents in some department.

The lock turned and the door slid open. The sight of him so near brought a wave of both relief and fresh prickle of tears to her eyes.

It was late afternoon, two days later that Barber gave the go for them to leave the safe house. There'd be a private chopper leaving from a nearby airfield and he had managed to get a ride for them to Luxembourg to take a train straight to Geneva. Annie noticed the nondescript black SUV as soon as it appeared in her rear-view mirror. That and the car had done a nice round of switch with two other cars, surrounding her BMW all the time. She was trapped.

With a rather noticeable traffic accident that'd earn her more than a scowl from Joan, she escaped them. She abandoned the BMW in a mall parking lot and chose to seek safety in the crowd as she took a bus, keeping Andrea close to her hip.

They exited the bust in the last stop and continue on foot, Annie searching for a car to hotwire. That was when she noticed the man in the dark suit. She was positive that she could take him down, but that'd leave Andrea in the spotlight, alone, an easy target for the other men to go after her. She knew they were sent to bring Andrea alive, but also knew that they won't hesitate to use their gun to kill.

She picked up her pace when she saw a second man. Andrea was almost running to keep up, holding on to Annie's hand tightly. The two, no, make that four, pursuer started to walk faster and she had to jog, pulling the little girl along with her.

The first shot was fired and she ducked, drawing Andrea close to her body. Then, she slipped to a small corner, hiding the girl behind her back and held her there with a hand on her arm. The girl trembled, pressing her face closer to her back.

"Can you run?"

The sun shone brightly, some blackbirds flew in circles in the cerulean sky. Seven people attended the funeral.

Three hours. They had three hours and she was gone. The guilt crept into her, going deeper and deeper. But she held them down. The mission was over but it was not her time to crumble and give up to the temptation of tears yet.

Constellations, some card games and a few packs of shared Oreo had got them closer in the span of two days. Andrea had become her own niece and she her aunt. And for her, it was just like hanging out with her nieces on the weekend, in different part of the globe and with no bad guys out there looking for them.

"Annie?" His voice was soft, like a warm blanket spreading over the room, enveloping her in its safety.

A small hiccup escaped her lips. And that was all he needed to know where she was in the quiet room. He made his way to her, feeling her cold hand met his outstretched one and he adjusted his direction. He joined her in the window sitting. She held his face in her hands, taking a moment to admire him, relishing the feel of his skin against hers.

Five days. It had been a mere five days but it felt more like five years. She was worn down to her bone. No words could be formed.

In that glorious minute she just let herself being comforted by his presence, his very being. Feeling contented just so.

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Anyone feeling super excited for the season premiere? (Yes, it's supposed to be rhetorical)

Thank you very much for reading :)


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